Kings Island is changing the name of its Flight Deck roller coaster to The Bat for the 2014 season. The new color scheme for The Bat will feature orange track with two shades of charcoal for the columns and structure. The trains will be black. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO FROM KINGS ISLAND

Kings Island revamping roller coaster as ‘The Bat’

Thirty-three years to the day it was first introduced in 1980, The Bat will fly again at Kings Island.

The 364-acre amusement and water park is changing the name and colors of its Flight Deck roller coaster to The Bat.

The change will take effect for the 2014 season.

“There was a lot of passion and enthusiasm around this name change by our guests,” said Greg Scheid, Kings Island’s vice-president and general manager. “They told us this is a name they wanted us to bring back. We listened and we’re excited our guests will again be able to fly The Bat at Kings Island in 2014.

The name also fits the characteristics of the ride, Scheid said.

“Similar to a bat in flight, riders soar through the air, swooping, circling and diving unexpectedly as they enjoy this ride,” he said.

The newly-named Bat is similar to its predecessor as a suspended roller coaster with the tracks above the trains. When the coaster train turns a corner, the cars are designed to swing out to the side, sometimes swinging the riders parallel to the ground.

The new color scheme for The Bat will feature orange track with two shades of charcoal for the columns and structure. Black will be the featured color of the trains.

Designed by the Arrow Dynamics Company, The Bat was custom-designed for Kings Island when it debuted as Top Gun in 1993. Riders soar over tree tops and through a hilly wooden terrain and a series of sharp turns on this seventh-generation steel roller coaster.

The attraction celebrated its 20th anniversary this year, giving its 20-millionth ride in June.

The Bat is one of 15 roller coasters at Kings Island, including the new world record-breaking Banshee set to debut in 2014.

The original Bat operated for parts of three seasons from 1981 to 1983, giving 1.8 million rides.